Thrust bearing and method of making same



June 10. 1924. 1,496,809

C. W. JOHNSON THRUST BEARING AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed June 19. 1926 I aria-M21 6 Patented June 10, 1924.

UNITED STATES CARL W. JOHNSON, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO,

ASSIGNQR TO THE CLEVELAND GRAPHITE BRONZE COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND. OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

THBUST BEARING AND METHOD 01 MAKING SAME.

Application filed June 19, 1920. Serial No. 390,196.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, (lean 'lV. JUHNSUN, a citizen of theiUnited States, and a resident of Cleveland, county of Cuyahoga, and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Inc provement in Thrn'st Bearin s and Methods of Making Same, of which t e following is a specification, "the principle of the invention being herein explained and the best mode in which I have contemplated applying that. principle, so as to distinguish it from other inventions.

The present invention, relating, as indicated, to a thrust bearing and the method of making same, is particularly directed to an improved type of thrust bearing washer having improved bearing and lubricating qualitics and to a method of producing the same from rolled strips of metal. One. of the chief objects of the invention is the provision of an improved bearing of relatively inexpensive construction. To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention, then, consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The annexed drawing and the following description setforth in detail one method and one product exemplifying iny invention, such disclosed procedure and product constituting, however, but one of various applications of the principles of my invention.

In said annexed drawingr Fi 1 is a longitudinal slciion showing a strip of rolled bearii'ig metal after having been indented to produce a series of recesses in one surface of the metal: Fig. 2 is a similar view of the same strip showing the same after it has been indented on the reverse face to provide a second series of recesses; Fig. 3 is a similar view of the strip after having been sized to return it to its original thickness; Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but showing the strip after indentations have been filled with a lubricating composition; and Figs. 5 and (l are side views of the complete bearing after having been formed into a circular washer.

My improved method of producing a thrustbearing consists in passing a strip 1 of bearing niateriii, such as brass. bronze, or similar material, which has been rolled to harden it: to a certain extent, between a series of rolls constructed to produce indentations 2 in one surface of the material. 'lhr-se indentations are formed to extend a little less than half way through the inaterial, and the result producing the indentations is also to produce a ries of raised lands between the indentatioi The indentations are produced by passing the strip between rolls, one of which is smooth and the. other is provided with a series of regularly arranged indenting teeth, such for enainplc, as are described in the co-pending applicu tion of myself and James L, Mvers. Serial No. 390,188, tiled June 19. 1920. i

After the material has been passed through one set of rolls to produce indentations on one face it is passed through a second set of rolls which is similarly provided with indenting teeth on the roll which contacts the previously smooth side of the strip, and in this way a second serie of indentations is produced on the reverse side oi the strip, (see Fig. 2). It is important that the two series of indentations he ditlercntlv arranged. that is, it the indentations on the two sides are in the same pattern then they should be staggered with respect to each other. or else a ditl'erent pattern or arrangement of indentations should be employed on the two sides of the roll.

In the strip which I- have shown it will be noticed from 5 and 6 that on one side of the strip I produce a series of straight parallei indentatid ns, while on the other side I have formed a series of diamondshaped indentations.

After the indentations have been i'ornu-d on the two sides of the strip, the strip is sized by being passed between smooth faced rolis which will roll it down to its original thickness, {see Fig. 3), and this action serves to pinch in together the upper edges or corners 5 of the indentations, in this way i'ornring dovetailed recesses in the two surfaces of the bushing which serve to mechanically loci; into these recesses the solid lubricant ti, which is tilled into the recesses after the sizing. This solid lubricant is a composition consist ing of graphite with a suitable binder.

After the strip has thus been indented. sized and tilled with lubricant. bearing nien'r bers of the desired size are cut from it, usu ally by stamping, and if there are washers such are shown in Figs. 5 and (l, the strip is merely passed beneath the punch which stamps out annular disks of the desired size. For other urposes the articles are formed as may be esired by suitable means.

By this method it is possible. to produce relatively thin, and hence, inexpensive thrust bearings, which are self-lubricating on both of their bearing surfaces, in such a way that the lubricant can neither be knocked out of the recesses in which it is held, nor can the bearin wear down except at the same rate as the caring metal which surrounds it. The ratio between the area of the bearing metal surface and the recesses which contain graphite should be ap roximatel y 70 to 30.

It will be noticed by inspection of Figs. 5 and 6 that the patterns which are produced on the two sides of the stri are somewhat distorted from the origina atterns and this is caused by the flow of t e metal and by the fact that the indenting teeth which act upon the two sides of the bushi extend to almost one-half the thickness of t e strip, and hence the production of the second 0 eration will somewhat distort the shape 0 the original recess in the first face, while the sizm of the strip will still further distort all 0% the recesses on both sides.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards the mechanism herein disclosed provided the means stated by any of the following claims or the efi uivalent of such stated means be employs i I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention 1. A thrust bearing comprising a thin me" tallic plate provided with a series of re ularly arranged recesses in one face, an a second series of recesses in the opposite face, said second series of recesses being of a different pattern than said first series, and said recesses in the opposite faces being staggered with relation to one another so that no recesses in one series are directly opposed to the recesses in the other series.

2. In a method of making bearing plates, the ste s which consist in working a rel tively t iin strip of metal to produce a series of regularly arranged indentations in one surface, workingsuch strip to produce a differently arranged series of indentations in the other surface, the recesses on opposite sides being so arranged that no recess of either series will be opposite a recess of the other series, sizing said strip to return it to its original thickness, and then filling such recesses with a solid lubricant.

Signed by me this 14th day of June, 1920.

C RL W. JOHNSON. 

